Background There is a lack of contemporary data on cardiogenic shock (CS) in‐hospital mortality trends. Methods and Results Patients with CS admitted January 1, 2004 to December 31, 2018, were identified from the US National Inpatient Sample. We reported the crude and adjusted trends of in‐hospital mortality among the overall population and selected subgroups. Among a total of 563 949 644 hospitalizations during the period from January 1, 2004, to December 30, 2018, 1 254 358 (0.2%) were attributed to CS. There has been a steady increase in hospitalizations attributed to CS from 122 per 100 000 hospitalizations in 2004 to 408 per 100 000 hospitalizations in 2018 ( P trend <0.001). This was associated with a steady decline in the adjusted trends of in‐hospital mortality during the study period in the overall population (from 49% in 2004 to 37% in 2018; P trend <0.001), among patients with acute myocardial infarction CS (from 43% in 2004 to 34% in 2018; P trend <0.001), and among patients with non–acute myocardial infarction CS (from 52% in 2004 to 37% in 2018; P trend <0.001). Consistent trends of reduced mortality were seen among women, men, different racial/ethnic groups, different US regions, and different hospital sizes, regardless of the hospital teaching status. Conclusions Hospitalizations attributed to CS have tripled in the period from January 2004 to December 2018. However, there has been a slow decline in CS in‐hospital mortality during the studied period. Further studies are necessary to determine if the recent adoption of treatment algorithms in treating patients with CS will further impact in‐hospital mortality.

Pulmonary hypertension in left heart disease (PH-LHD) commonly complicates prolonged heart failure (HF). When advanced, the PH becomes fixed or out of proportion and is associated with increased morbidity and mortality in patients undergoing orthotopic heart transplant (OHT). To date, the only recommended treatment of out of proportion PH is the treatment of the underlying HF by reducing the pulmonary capillary wedge pressure (PCWP) with medications and often along with use of mechanical circulatory support. Medical therapies typically used in the treatment of World Health Organization (WHO) group 1 pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) have been employed off-label in the setting of PH-LHD with varying efficacy and often negative outcomes. We will discuss the current standard of care including treating HF and use of mechanical circulatory support. In addition, we will review the studies published to date assessing the efficacy and safety of PAH medications in patients with PH-LHD being considered for OHT.

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A double-chambered right ventricle is an uncommon form of congenital heart disease that is characterized by the division of the right ventricle into a proximal high-pressure chamber and a distal low-pressure chamber. A 70-year-old male presented to the emergency room from his outpatient doctor's office with unstable wide complex ventricular tachycardia with right axis deviation. His ventricular tachycardia was terminated using external cardioversion and intravenous amiodarone. He was subsequently found to have new-onset heart failure with a reduced ejection fraction and a right ventricular tract outflow obstruction on transthoracic echocardiography. A diagnosis of the double-chambered right ventricle was made. The patient was offered surgery to fix the anomalous tissue but he refused. He did agree to subcutaneous implantable cardioverter-defibrillator placement and was then discharged home.